Only Skin Deep
by Tjin
Summary: When Xander Changes will the change take over his life... or be Only Skin Deep
1. Only Skin Deep 1

Xander stared at the mirror in confusion.

Why didn't she break my neck... or angel when he pulled me away? he thought silently as he looked at the red marks faith's hands had made on his neck.

Two super strong beings pulling me in different directions and all I end up with is a red mark? he wondered again before his attention was drawn closer to his neck.

More precisely to the paper then scar just above his Adams apple "What the hell?" he muttered as he thought back Faith didn't do it... he sisterhood of Jhe? No they had claws he thought as he ran through that period and his mind clicked on the one point where he could get that scar.

"HOLY SHIT O'TOOL CUT MY THROAT!" he shouted at the mirror in concern. "Okay cut throat and not being dead is definitely a bad thing" he said before he stopped and looked back at his reflection.

"Of course it does have it advantages but still" he thought desperately as he walked back and forth in his small room. "okay, let make a checklist of what I'm not" he muttered and sat down with a pencil and a piece of paper "okay lets start alphabetical" he muttered as he started jotting down possibilities

Two hours later he had finished and worked his way down the list checking off the names when he proved them incorrect .

"Okay Vampire" he said as he looked out the window as the sun was slowly setting below the horizon "Thank god no" he said as he checked it off "Wraith... well I can still pick thinks up so that's a no" he muttered as he looked at the last one on the list "Zombie... well I don't feel like baking a cake so... no" he said as he checked off the last of the list.

Well this just sucks he thought to himself as he looked out the window and realized he was late for the Scooby meeting.

With a curse he grabbed his stake and holy water before rushing out the door.

He made it halfway to the library before the hairs started to prickle on the back of his neck, turning around he glanced around at the deserted street in concern, cursing himself again for being out this late alone.

He was in sight of the school when a heavy hand clamped around his neck and an it's equal slapped around his mouth preventing him from yelling.

Quickly fishing into his pocket he pulled out the bottle of holy water and slammed it into the vampire's hand. With a curse to himself he watched the bottle bounce off and go rolling across the ground ooh yeah... my day just keeps getting better

Pulling himself up on the vampires grip he brought both feet down on the vampires knee. As the vampire let go Xander turned and looked into the chest of the vampire that had grabbed him.

Chest? he wondered idly as he followed it up to the towering creature before him.

"Umm... when did Big Foot move to Sunny D?" he muttered to the eight foot fur covered monster in front of him.

Pulling out his stake Xander Swallowed heavily and clamped down on the feeling of terror "Listen bud... I'm a friend of the slayers and if you know what's good for..." he got before the heavy right caught him across the face and the world went dark.

Growling at the still form for a second he turned to the two human looking people with him "Get the things he dropped... don't leave anything that would tell them what happened" he said and waited for the two to move off before picking up the boy. "I don't know why he wants you so much... but I really hate these kinda jobs" he grumbled as he walked into the darkness.


	2. Only Skin Deep 2

Xander came too slowly as the cold forced him to shiver okay mental note to self... avoid being hit by big fur covered demon guys he thought as the world swam back into focus.

The first sight he saw was the large fur covered being talking to a senior citizen on the far side of the cave okay... probably mage or demon in human form, odds are he's the big boss he thought as he watched the interaction between the two.

Moving slowly he looked left to see a dark haired kid with a smile he saw all the time. insert school bully number one he thought as he looked to the right at a silver haired kid with a similar smile and two he thought as he listened carefully as steps walks quietly up behind him thank god for dead boy and the slayers... no demons gonna sneak up on me he thought as he allowed himself to go limp as a cold hand wrapped itself around his neck and lifted him.

"Hey boss, lets just throw him in the drink and watch him swim back" the voice behind him said as Xander nearly passed out again due to the smell of the things breath.

ooh yeah... this is gonna go over real well he thought sadly as he smashed his head back. Feeling the back of his skull impact with something solid he pushed the pain aside as the grip around his neck loosened enough he was able to launch himself backwards.

As he and the other rolled across the floor Xander rolled to his feet before he launched himself over the small green human that was holding his shattered nose and made a rush towards the only exit he saw.

He was halfway there when he heard the roar from behind him.

Throwing himself to the left he barely slid under the outstretched claws of the furred demon.

Rolling to his feet again Xander stared at the exit that now stood behind the creature as it just stood there with a grin on its face.

Xander had just committed himself to the fight when a heavy impact to his right brought back the darkness.

"Come on boss... let me deal with this punk, you saw what he did ta my nose" a whining voice broke through the pain as Xander came to again.

"Yes Toad... we did" a smooth feminine voice replied "We saw him come to and disable you before almost making it out of the room just before dodging Victor" pain forced a groan as light and cold invaded again.

This time the voice was solid and held a pride Xander remembered from the Mayor as a hand griped his chin "aah... I see you have woken again my friend" Xanders eyes opened to Senior citizen from before, this time he was in a red metal armor and held a helmet in his hand "I do wish to apologize for my companions, they get a bit... overzealous in there jobs"

With a groan Xander realized his hands where bound behind his back with the cold solidness of metal "Well if it's all just a misunderstanding then I'll just be going" he tried as the older man just smiled.

"I am sorry my friend, but your life has taken a change for the better it seems" he said as Xander looked over the gathered beings again.

The large fur covered being was there still. As was the green guy who now had his nose in a cast as he glared at Xander as the two kids tried to keep from laughing at the green guy's predicament. This time though they where joined by two others. The First was a blue skinned red haired woman he deduced had been speaking before. This was due to the other man standing six and a half feet tall with heavy muscles that Xander quickly decided did not come out of a bottle or gym.

Turning back to the older man Xander shrugged "yeah how do you figure that? Sylvester over there just kidnapped me" he growled as he glared at the fur covered guy.

The older man shrugged "I do admit Victor is... impulsive when it comes to finishing the jobs I send him on" he said as the fur guy just grinned and leaned back against the wall

The blue female just smiled as she walked no that's definitely a Stalk he thought as she moved over to the older man and draped her hand on his shoulder.

"Magnus, why don't you introduce us" she said in a quite voice that carried more then the whining shouts of the green guy.

"aah yes thank you mystique" the older man smiled as he pointed around the room "The one you dubbed 'Sylvester' is Victor Creed he goes by the name Sabertooth" he said as he pointed to the green man "I Believe you have met Toad already" he said with a chuckle.

Xander thought through the books he had seen and frowned Sabertooth? Toad? These don't sound like demons he thought as he realized the older man had continued.

The young dark haired man was introduced as 'Pyro' while the silver haired one was 'Avalanche'

"the large being over there is Piotr Rasputin who goes by the name Colossus and this lovely being is Mystique while I" the older man said simply as he turned back to himself "and I am Eric Magnus" he said as he put the helmet and turned away "and you my young friend are the son of two very powerful mutants, your mother never realized she had two sons when she pulled the trigger on your brother" Magneto said as he walked to the desk and sat with a smile.

Mystique flinched at this before she turned to him in silence "Magnus what are you talking about" she said quietly as Sabertooth moved over and stood beside her.

"Really Mystique, I know about your sordid affair with Victor and I know how you decided to fix one of the problems you created by ending the life of young Mister Graydon when he was running for president" he said as the two mutants flinched at the name of there renegade son.

"But what 'You' don't know is that you had twins" Magneto continued "Your second son was taken and hidden in a foster home before it was broken into by a small time demon who wanted enough children to rise his status among his brethren, he took many children that night and fled with them across America to California where he was killed in a fight with a slayer"

This time it was Xanders turn to flinch as he realized where this was going

"the children where put into an adoption agency where the young Creed was Adopted by a Anthony Harris, in the hopes that a 'Family' man would be able to glean more support out of his parents" he said as the blood drained out of Xanders face.

"Alexander Harris is Alexander Creed" Magneto said as the two mutants turned to there son as Magneto Smiled "Welcome to the Family Alexander"


	3. Only Skin Deep 3

Xander sat in shock and just stared at the two mutants before him. Okay Xan... you can survive this, this is just like... ummm... he stared blankly as his mind tried to find a connection to this Darth Vader and Luke? No they where the same species... maybe if he found out his parents where Yoda and the Six breasted dancer out of Jabba's Palace he winched in pain as that visual image floated by okay that line of thought is now off limits he thought before his brow creased in thought.

"Ummm... I hate to point this out but" he stopped as the assembled mutants looked at him "I cant be there kid" he said as the two looked at each other.

Magneto was the first to answer this as he sat back and laced his fingers together "Really Alexander... please tell us why not?" he asked with a hint of caution in his voice.

Xander swallowed heavily at that and thought it through again "Well..." he paused before taking a deep breath and continuing "You said she shot my brother Graydon... I am guessing your talking about Graydon Creed?" he said and sighed when magneto and Mystique both nodded.

"Well I remember that" he said slowly as he looked at them "I was fourteen when that happened and from what I hear you have to be like... thirty five to run for president" he said as he looked between the two mutants he had almost dared hope be his parents "So you see... I can't be your son"

A Short clapping from behind them turned Sabertooth and Mystique around to see Magneto with a grin.

"A very astute observation Alexander, if you had aged as others you would indeed be forty seven by now" he said as he smiled again at the look of shock on Xanders face.

"But it seems Mister Sinister wanted you for his own genetic manipulations, he placed you in a state of temporal stasis under the house" he said simply as Xander just stared in shock "Yes Alexander you where born Forty Seven years ago to Raven and Victor Creed"

Xander stared at Magneto for several seconds before a smile broke past his mask "Cool" he whispered as the two mutants smiled at him "so what now?" he said as the smile was replaced by a frown "I mean... I'm no mutant and I" he got before the look on Magneto's face stopped him "I'm not a mutant... am I?"


	4. Only Skin Deep 4

The next morning Xander woke with a groan okay Xan, find out what the heck you at last night and force feed it to deadboy he thought groggily as he rolled over and crashed to the hard stone floor.

"What the hell? I don't have stone floors" he grumbled as he sat up and looked around the room.

Outside the huge windows Xander watched the snow fall slowly to the ground "i-it wasn't a dream" he whispered to himself as he thought back through the day before.

After the explanation Eric had made him promise not to break toads nose again before released him. The rest of the day had been taken up in touring the base, going through multiple tests and learning about his parents.

yeah great way to learn about them he thought as he thought back to the training ring of the day before.

"I could hardly touch mom and I doubt I could hurt dad with a wrecking ball" he muttered as he pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a shirt.

As he pulled the shirt on he stopped how the hell? he thought absently as he realized he had always had trouble calling the Harris's mom and dad and here I'm saying it to two people I hardly know after less then a day

With a chuckle he finished dressing and walked out the door to find some food.

Walking into the mess hall Xander grinned as his parents at one end of the long hall.

Walking to the food center Xander settled Toast, eggs, Bacon and ham before moving over to sit in a corner by himself.

He had just picked up some bacon when it was snatched out of his hand. Looking over Xander glared at toad as the green man just smiled and chewed Xanders food.

Glaring at the frog man Xander considered his options before smiling Frogs can heal from a lot he thought as he finished up his toast.

Picking up another piece of bacon Xander heard the tell-tale sound of toad and reacted.

As the tongue snapped out Xanders hand flashed out and caught the offending Body part before his fork came down and skewered the amphibians tongue to the table.

As toad screamed and thrashed Xander picked up his food tray and walked from the room ooh yeah Way to go Xan... Damaging a Full member of the country Club before your even a candidate he thought bitterly as he headed for his room to finish his meal in peace.

Xander was just finishing the last of the eggs when the door opened to reveal Mystique.

"Alexander can we talk?" she asked in a tone that made it more of a statement of fact then a question.

"Yeah sure mom" he said as he turned and sat carefully on the bed. "What's on your mind?" he asked nervously as Mystique just continued to stand.

"Alexander I want you to understand that I was shocked by what you did in the dining hall" she said as Xander lowered his head.

"I know, I'm sorry it just... food was never in great supply at my old home and... well it got to the point where I would fight tooth and nail for anything to eat" he said with a shrug as Mystique sat on the bed beside him.

"Alexander you need to understand that I will never allow you to go hungry again" she said as she set a hand on his shoulder "But that is not what I was talking about" she said as Xander looked back at her in confusion.

"Alexander, Toad has been fighting for the last decade, yet you managed to best him yesterday when you had yet to recover for being knocked unconscious" she said as Xander looked confused again "And then just now you managed to 'Catch' his tongue which we have calculated is moving at almost six hundred feet per second and impale it on the table with a fork" she said as she smiled at him

"Alexander it seems you have advanced hand eye coordination along with an impressive amount of speed, if this is merely your passive mutant abilities then your Active ones may well surprise us all"

She smiled for a few moments before she became more subdued "But to the matter at hand... I want you to be careful Alexander, Toad is a very dangerous enemy, he will take any opportunity to hurt you and he will carry a grudge for as long as he lives" at this Xander just nodded silently before she smiled again "And I would hate to have to clean the little Toadstool off the walls when your father finds out he hurt you"

If Victor gets to him first that is she promised as Xander just smiled and laughed


	5. Only Skin Deep 5

Xander was sweating.

This alone would not be a bad thing if the multitude of micro cuts and scratches weren't there. As they where Xander was having a hard time keeping his focus on his opponent.

Across the open area Victor Creed was circling the boy slowly as he looked for another opening, when it came he launched himself across the open area and was pleased when Xander sidestepped and landed a straight punch to his side.

As he stood up he smiled again "Good, put you put to much weight on your left foot in the turn, try to keep yourself balanced so you don't open yourself to counter moves" he said as the doors opened to reveal Toad standing there.

"Aye tooth... Magneto wants me to train with the kid for a bit" he said as Victor glared at the little man who just shrugged "Ya got a problem with it, Take it up with the boss" he said.

With a growl Sabertooth stomped over and towered over the smaller man "I will" he said simply before brushing past him and out the door.

Xander watched his dad walk out; the impact of Toads tongue to the side of his head warned him that his focus should be somewhere else.

--

Victor was growling as he stormed into the office of one of the most powerful mutants on the planet "Why did you send toad to replace me?" he growled out as Magneto looked up from a document he was reading.

"Mortimer asked if he could train young Alexander and I agreed" he said as Victor stood there for several seconds.

With a roar the mutant known as Sabertooth left the office leaving a very concerned Erik Magnus behind.

Turning to the View screen Magneto turned it on to the image of a badly beaten young Alexander Creed "Ooh Mortimer... I do hope you survive this" he said as he switched to the security camera that showed Both Sabertooth and Mystique moving towards the training room with a cold fury.

With a Sigh he turned off the screen and back to the Documents "I Suppose I should look for someone else to fill Toads spot next weekend."


	6. Only Skin Deep 6

Victor Creed Roared as he stormed out of the room and almost cut Down Mystique as she was walking in

Pushing aside her Concern Mystique rushed to catch up with the Father of her child "Victor, what is the matter" she said as she placed a hand on his arm to stop him.

As he turned she saw something in his eyes she had thought lost almost fifty years ago.

With a growl Sabertooth continued down the hall "Toad has Alex alone in the training room"

Mystique Growled as she pulled him around to face her "You LEFT that 'Thing' Alone with our son"

Victor Glared down at her for a second before moving back down the hall "Toads not going to hurt him... he knows what would happen if he did"

--

Toad looked in glee as "Tooth's" kid dropped to the ground.

"Na so tough without your dad are you?" he said as he walked up to the crumpled form and pulled his head up by the hair "And how about I just finish you off right here"

Xander could barely hear the words past the rushing of blood in his ears and the pounding of his heart, with a groan he looked at toad with half swollen eyes "You're a dead man Tadpole... you just don't know it yet" he got out past the split lip and missing teeth

Toad just glared at the kid. Here he had been fighting for twelve years for mutants Okay if I'm gonna be truthfully I do it cuz Magneto lets me beat people up he thought as he wrapped one hand around Xanders neck.

and here this kid thinks he's strong enough to beat me? he thought as he pulled out a Knife

Xanders eyes widened as he looked at the gleaming blade that brought back nightmares of O'Tool and his Zombies.

Toad grinned at the look of fear that came over the kid's eyes as he looked at the blade "Ya know what? I don't really like you all that much" he said before the knife flashed down into Xanders gut.


	7. Only Skin Deep 7

Piotr Sighed heavily as he entered the gym Why is it so hard to focus these days he thought sadly as he tried to clear his mind of his last failed painting.

Opening the door peter stared in shock as Toad stood up from the bleeding body of Victors Son This is going to end badly he thought as he rushed to the boys body.

"Mortimer what have you done" he whispered as Toad just shrugged and headed for the door.

"Magneto won't let them kill me, and anything else they threaten to do is just hot air" he said before the door slid open.

Toad never saw the heavy fist as it slammed into the side of his head

Peter watched as Toad collapsed to the floor as the snarling figure of Sabertooth stepped into the gym

"Victor, help me get him to the infirmary" Colossus said quietly as he tried to bring his friends focus away from the figure on the floor.

For several seconds the huge man just growled before a commanding voice broke through the rage.

"Piotr pick up Alexander and follow me to the Medical lab" Mystique said before she set her hand on Sabertooth's arm "Take this 'Thing' to someplace quite" she said as she glared at the still form of Toad before walking out.

Victor had just picked him up when Mystiques voice drifted back "And don't kill him... yet"

With a growl Victor Creed stared at the unconscious face of the creature that had attacked his child "I Should rip your arms out of there sockets and force them down your throat" he growled as he threw the limp form over his shoulder "But I think my Raven will make your last 'Months' far more painful then I ever could" he growled as he moved through the now silent complex.

--

When he returned Victor stood behind the glass window of the infirmary as he watched Mystique work to save there son.

It was several hours later when a exhausted Mystique woke the sleeping form of Victor Creed "Victor" she said simply as he came to with a start "Victor we need to speak" she said simply before walking carefully to a nearby room.

After looking in at the beeping machines hooked up to his son he looked at the form of Piotr Rasputin as he stood in the doorway "No one enters" he said and simply accepted the nod of the Russian before following Mystique.

Mystique looked up from the table when Sabertooth entered "Victor I..." she stopped as she thought about the situation. "Victor I loved Graydon, so much so that it took me being tortured by him for fifty years before a came back to end his life..." she stopped to collect herself before she looked back

"Even then I almost didn't do it... I almost allowed him to become the monster I knew he was" She sat for a moment before she looked back up.

"Victor, Alexander will be fine" she said slowly as he let out a sigh "it seems he has inherited your strength and healing abilities" she said as she looked back at him "But he also has something else... Victor Alexander is an Empath"

Victor Creed wondered for a moment "Raven... why would Essex want Alex if he just had healing abilities like mine and some psychic stuff?" he wondered until Mystique looked back up.

"Victor Alexander is not Psychic, he can project his feelings into others, and feel there emotions as well" She said as he just stared "if Essex ever got Alexander under his control... he could make every mutant within fifty miles of him come dancing and skipping to be dissected by Essex... and should he gain control of Cerebro" she let the implication sink in until she smiled

"But we could also use Cerebro to imprint the image of Magnus's dream to every human and mutant on the planet... but he would die Victor" she said before she let her head dip "And I believe that is Erik's plan"


	8. Only Skin Deep 8

It had been two days since the 'Knife incident' and Colossus was helping Xander carefully walk into his room arguing the entire way.

"You heard what John said, the mayors going to 'EAT' my friends at graduation and Buffy's doing nothing to stop it" Xander said with a lisp as he tried to talk through the missing teeth as Mystique followed patiently.

"Alexander you were stabbed two days ago and you have yet to heal" She said as he slowly lowered himself to sit on the bed.

She cut him off before he could Continue "Alexander you are not leaving this room and that is final, John and Dominic are more then capable of dealing with Mayor Wilkins" she said before holding up her hand to stop more protests "And IF by some chance they fail Victor is on his way there now, your friends will be fine I'm sure"

So long as they don't make the mistake of thinking Victor is a demon she thought with a smile

"But there probably worried about me... can I at least call them and tell them I'm okay?" he asked even as Mystique shook her head.

"Alexander we have a lot of enemies, if they where to find out you where Mine or Victors son they would hurt you" She said as Xander just sighed

"I'm not afraid of being hurt mom, I've been fighting demons and vampires for three years now" he argued again as his mother just looked at him.

"Alexander when I say they will hurt you" She paused and took a breath "Alexander they will hurt or kill your friends just because they are the friends of my son"

Xander thought about that for a while before he looked back up.

"Mom I've been wondering and" he paused and considered how to ask something that had been bothering him since Magneto had told him about his History.

Seeing him pause Colossus decided it was time to make his excuses "Pardon me Raven, but I have a painting to finish and Erik wished to see me in an hour" he said before leaving them alone

With a Sigh Xander decided to be as blunt as he could.

"Can you tell me about Graydon?" he whispered softly.

With a sigh Mystique sat beside him and thought back on the years she had spent raising the man she would have to kill.

"Graydon always seemed bitter, as a baby he would never come to me unless I was Human" she said sadly

"As he grew he would spend more time away from me" she said as she remembered one of the more painful memories "He would tell people his real mother died... that I was an evil monster that had stolen him" she said as Xander sat silently.

"In his early teens he seemed to gain even more venom against mutants, myself especially. It seemed every day we would have an argument that started or ended with 'If you weren't a freak'" she said before she sighed again.

"I didn't make it easy for him I'm sure Alexander but... I had people cursing me for how I was born whenever I went out, I could not take it from my own son as well" she said before she collected herself again.

"When he started the 'Friends of Humanity' they where little more then a gang that would harass mutants whenever they found them... he would leave the pamphlets and flyers around the house for me to find"

"When I saw him in a riot that ended in four mutants being beaten to death I... I knew I had to leave... I stayed until his seventeenth birthday before I signed everything over to his name and walked out. The next time I saw him he was speaking for the friends of humanity about the evils of Mutants"

With a sigh she stood and smiled at her son "I Am sorry Alexander, but I must speak with Erik before Piotr" she said before leaving.

Xander watched her go before dropping his head onto the bed "my best friend is a witch who's dating a werewolf, the girl of my dreams is dating a corpse, I've just been stabbed by a green guy who 'Must' be the French kisser from hell, my mom is blue, my dad can bench press a Buick and my brother is an asshole who tried to kill them both" he sighed before closing his eyes "my life. Complicated? Never" he muttered sarcastically before drifting off to sleep.


	9. Only Skin Deep 9

Mystique Ducked as she entered the small cave "Well Mortimer, are you feeling better today?" she asked the gagged figure on the wall.

With a groan Toad looked at the woman who had been coming back daily, bringing new pains each time.

"Mortimer I'm going to make sure you understand why exactly this is happening" She said as she built up a small fire nearby and set several Knives inside the flames before holding a small need inside the flame until it glowed a bright orange.

Walking back to the small man she held needle in front of his face before slowly inserting it into his into his cheek.

As the muffled screams finally settled down Mystique picked up a small paring knife that had begun to get a bright white color "No one hurts my child" she said before the screams started again.

It was several hours later that Mystique opened the door to Xanders room and watched as he slept No one hurts my child

--

Victor Creed glared at the sign in front of him with distain before walking past the garish 'Welcome to Sunnydale'

Pulling out a small phone he pressed the speed dial button and waited

:Yes?:

"I'm in Sunnydale" he growled as Mystique looked up the required information

:one fifteen Melbrew Drive: She read the information off as Victor glared at the Sign

"Okay, I'll be there in..." he was interrupted from finishing by three smiling men approaching.

"Well look what we have hear, looks like a full buffet" the first one said as the other two moved to flank the large mutant

:What's happening Victor?: Mystique asked at the sudden interruption of the conversation.

Sabertooth looked at the man as his Face contorted "I think I'm being attacked" he said as he just continued to stare.

The silence on the other end was enough to tell him of her disbelief "I'll call you back when I'm done" he muttered before closing the phone and slipping it into the pocket of his trench coat.

His hand shot out and grabbed the first vampire around the throat before gripping the top of his head and twisting.

The Snapping sound was soon beaten by a sound of rushing air as the creature turned to dust.

The other two vampires stared in shock as there 'Meal' twisted the head off of there leader.

With a growl they leapt at the tall figure.

Ducking under the two Sabertooth sprang foreword with a growl and grabbed the two by the neck.

Slamming them together Victor smiled at the sound like dropping an egg he thought as the two Vampires skulls where crushed by the impact.

Shrugging off the dust he pulled the phone out of his pocket again and pressed redial.

:Have Fun?: Mystique asked as she could almost see the smile on his face.

"I don't know did you enjoy your talk with toad today?" he said as he walked past the sign and into the town.

--

It was ten minutes later when the huge mutant double checked the address to the house.

Knocking on the door he tried to ignore the almost overwhelming smell of cheap beer and stale sweat.

As the door was jerked open the pot-bellied man glared at him in a near drunken stupor "Wha do you want" he slurred as Victor checked the address again.

"Anthony Harris?" he asked the man who looked confused.

"Yeah, wha do you want?" he asked confused this time

Snapping his hand out Victor wrapped his hand around the mans throat and lifted him to his face "I want to talk to you about the bruises on my son" he growled as he carried the man inside and kicked the door shut.


	10. Only Skin Deep 10

Magneto smiled to himself as he nodded to Toad's replacement "That should deal with all the problems and you should have no trouble." he said with a smile.

"Das good, Gambit like it when tings be simple." The Cajun said with a smile

Xander groaned as he slowly opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling while he thought about how much his life had changed in the last few days.

His internal musing was cut off by a soft knock on the door.

Slipping out of bed Xander walked over to the door and carefully opened it to Mystique.

"Umm… what's up mom?" Xander asked in confusion as he stepped back and opened the door to admit her.

Shaking her head at the silent invitation Mystique silently wondered at the life lessons her son had taken away from that town as Xander threw a clean shirt on.

"It's time to start your training Alexander, while I prefer to begin it at a much younger age we did not have that option." Mystique said.

Xander stared at her blankly for a second before responding, "You mean I have to go back to school?" Fear started to well up inside him. "But… I've already graduated." Xander said before stopping for a second. "Well, I would graduate if the Mayor wasn't going to eat the graduating class."

Smiling at his panic Mystique shook her head before responding. "Alexander, while I believe you would enjoy Bayville immensely I'm speaking of your training to gain full control of your mutation."

Sighing in relief Xander thought about it a bit before nodding. "If it'll help my friends I'm willing to try." Xander said before his stomach growled out its own thoughts. "Umm… maybe I better get something to eat first?"

Nodding as Xander rushed to get dressed Mystique turned back to the door "Meet me in the training room when you're done." She said over her shoulder as Xander grabbed some clothes from his dresser and rushed to get dressed.

She barely heard the yelled confirmation as the door slid shut leaving her alone in the hallway.

Thinking about it a moment Mystique walked quickly through the complex to the Command center.

Smiling as Colossus stood Mystique took his seat. "Go get something to eat Peter, I need some privacy please." She told the big Russian.

Nodding as the Bio-metal slid back, Pioter left Mystique alone to her thoughts.

Waiting several minutes to make sure he was gone Mystique turned back to the command station and picked up the headset.

Tapping several keys Mystique quickly secured the line before dialing a phone number and listening to it ring.

After twelve rings the phone was finally answered.

"You better have a good health insurance plan." The voice growled over the line as Mystique smiled.

"Did I wake you Victor?" she asked sweetly as she heard the irritation from the other end of the line.

Blinking away the sleep Sabertooth focused on the phone as his mind caught up with him. "Raven? No of course your didn't wake me." He lied as he shoved the blankets off of the cheap motel bed he was staying on. "I just had a long night with 'Tony' is all." Victor said with as he placed as much venom as he could in the name. "What did you need Raven, is everything okay? Where's Alex." The huge mutant said with mounting worry.

"Alexander's fine Victor, there's no need to worry." She said as she listened to one of the most terrifying mutants in the world sound genuinely concerned over the health of someone he barely knew more then a week.

Sitting back down Victor Creed sighed as he tried to force away the feeling of utter terror the thought of his child being hurt brought up. "Then what's the matter Raven, why call me now." He asked after taking several seconds to calm down.

Composing herself, Mystique asked the question that had terrified her since finding out she had another child.

"Victor, what are your plans for Alexander." She whispered as she silently prayed for an answer that would allay her fears.

Thinking about it Victor had to wonder about the question. "What do you mean, Black Bird?" He asked as he tried to understand why she was asking this question.

"Because you left me alone once before Victor, and I need to know if I have to warn Alexander that his father may just one day decide he can't handle a family and leave us again." She demanded forcefully before reigning in her temper. "I need to know if I will have your support in this Victor, I need to know if Alexander will have your support."

Thinking about it for several minutes Victor nodded before speaking. "I can never take back what happened to Graydon Raven, but I won't apologize for something that was not my fault." He said quietly before continuing. "I don't know what's going to happen between us, but I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to be a part of Alex's life." He swore to both himself and her.

Sitting quietly in the command center, Mystique smiled to herself. "Very well Victor, we'll talk more when you return." She promised before cutting the connection.

Setting the phone down Victor slowly extended his claws and stared at them as memories of the time he spent in the Weapon-X project came back to him. "And God help anyone that tries to keep me from that life." He swore before rolling back over on the bed and slowly drifting off to sleep.

Much further North, Colossus nervously sat back down as a smiling Mystique left the command center and headed for the training room he had just recently seen Alexander in.

That Night.

Dominic rolled his eyes and sighed as John continued to complain.

"I'm just saying why do 'we' have to be out here walking around a graveyard in the middle of the night, just so this Xander guy can sleep better?" he complained as he watched the blond and redhead move through said graveyard.

With another sigh Dominic looked over at him "We're out here because A. Magneto told us to be. B. Mystique asked us to, and C. Sabertooth said he would rip our still beating hearts out of our chests and shove them so far down our throats we'd be constipated before we die if we said no." He growled before leaning over towards his friend "And Victor Creed is a very scary man" He let that sink in before turning back "Now shut up and watch those two because personally I like my intestines where they are"

John grumbled a few more minutes before finally settling down to watching in quiet.


	11. Only Skin Deep 11

The next day Xander knelt with his hands on his knees and slowly tried to clear his mind with the breathing techniques Mystique had taught him the day before.

Tried being the operative word as the bruises he gained that morning in training slowly rose to the surface.

"Focus, Alexander." The blue mutant whispered as she walked quietly around him. "Clear your mind of all your troubles and focus totally on your heartbeat." She whispered as she saw Xander's body start to relax.

"Now focus on Piotr, Search for him, tell me what he's feeling."

"He's… upset about something." Xander muttered as he slipped into the bright chrome image of the Russian. "Something about his pack… no his family."

Dipping deeper he saw color representations of the man's family.

The Brown earth color of Piotr's father next to the bright Amber color of the Russian's mother.

Looking at them he felt a slight longing. Homesick Xander thought to himself before moving on in search of the sadness.

Next came a bright white of an older sibling that although it was almost too bright to see clearly was shadowed.

After several Xander finally placed the feeling. A dead family member. he realized before moving from the old pain in search of the newer.

Bypassing the cold blue, wild yellow and almost imperceptible green of His parents and himself Xander finally focused on the main source of the larger man's sadness.

This one was also the white of a sibling, but the difference was astounding. Instead of a simple color this was a crystalline form of perfect formation while remaining totally unique.

Snowflake. Xander thought silently even as the word rang correct in his/Piotrs mind.

A sharp blinding light and a headache the likes of which he had never felt ripped Xander back to his own body.

Daring to open his eyes from his place on the floor Xander saw the almost elderly form of Eric Magnus removing his helmet from Xander's head while Mystique held him carefully.

"Well, Alexander it seems you have more surprises then I first expected." Eric said with a smile before looking up at Mystique. "I want a report on this as soon as you have the time." He said quietly before leaving the two alone.

Rubbing his temples for several seconds Xander forced the headache away with long practiced ease.

After being hit most of my life a little headache is no bother. he thought silently before trailing off as he stared at his hand.

Carefully bringing the second one up as well, Xander stared mutely at the shiny metal coating his body.

"What the HELL!"

"BUFFY, BUFFY!"

Buffy Summers looked up as the red-headed torpedo rushed through the crowded halls of Sunnydale High.

"Didja hear?" Willow asked as they walked the halls towards their next class. "We have a substitute gym teacher." Willow said bouncing slightly at the thought of something new happening.

"Willow, I hate to break it to you but you and gym are never gonna work well together."

"Yeah, you should stick with me and leave Jim alone." Oz said as he walked up behind the two and caught the last of the conversation.

"Oz." Willow said as she smiled at her boyfriend. "We were just talking about the new gym teacher."

Nodding at the revelation, Oz listened as the girls moved on to other topics.

It had taken a full fifteen seconds for Mystique to hack into the city records and implant the new information.

As such, one Dominic Petros now 'Dominic Costello' followed the trio carefully.

Great, I finally get out of Bayville and I end up in Sunnydale. he grumbled silently before shaking off the thought and following them into the class room.

Victor was not happy as he walked out of the gym and stormed down the now empty halls.

Fifty years of fighting in everything from black ops missions to one on one primal wars and where does he end up.

Babysitting a bunch of smelly, snot nosed brats, trying to get them to climb a rope. he snarled at the thought before shaking it off and continuing on his way.

He had an overdue conversation to get to with the town snitch. Who the hell names their bar the Alibi Room anyway? he grumbled as he exited the school and disappeared into the night.

'I'm telling you Giles he's evil." Buffy whined as the Librarian slowly massaged the bridge of his nose before returning his glasses to that spot.

"Buffy the fact you claim every single new staff member is evil aside, what makes you say this about the new gym teacher?"

"Well... he's big, and he made me climb a rope." Buffy said as if it explained everything.

Forcing the dark instincts of Ripper back, Giles stared blankly at his slayer for several seconds before nodding. "Of course the mammoth rope climbing demon of gymnasium how ever could I not see it?" He said before picking his book back up from the table. "While they are a nuisance I would recommend your time be better spent helping me research the upcoming ascension."

She pouted for a moment at the lack of understanding from her watcher. Picking one of the books up, Buffy focused on that for a surprising forty five seconds before interrupting the research yet again.

"Hey Willow, is Xander okay? I haven't seen him in class for a while."


	12. Only Skin Deep 12

Willy was by nature easily shaken.

Therefore when the door to his bar was ripped from it hinges and sent spiraling across the open room to decapitate a rather ugly Valos demon Willy started to get concerned.

"Willy."

Looking up at the seven foot four hulk before him, Willy managed to swallow past the basketball in his throat before accepting the fact the monster wanted him. "No Habla Engles." He managed to squeak out as the hulk sat down at the bar and still managed to tower over the bartender.

Grinning at the short man, Victor Creed leaned on the bar and rested his chin on an oversized hand. "I hear you're rather attached to your limbs." He commented and smiled at the pale color the human turned. "I'm going to ask you questions about three people and I want answers or I promise you won't be attached to them for long." Victor said before grinning like a shark. "Or rather, they won't be attached to you." He promised.

Looking around the bar Willy realized that every demon in there found their drinks oddly fascinating as they studiously avoided looking in his direction. Swallowing again, he looked back at the massive being before him and managed a weak smile. "W-who do you wanna know about." He stuttered as he silently sent a prayer up to anyone listening that he would make it out of this in one piece /Or a large piece with only a couple smaller pieces missing./

--

Xander breathed in a lungful of air as he focused on what his senses brought him.

Pine trees muted by the cold scent of new snow, the scent of fresh sap and broken wood as something stripped the bark off a tree.

The nearly silent chewing sound as flat teeth ground bark into digestible mush. The steady thumping of a heartbeat and soft humming of a lesser mind as it's only thought was on finding something better to eat than bark.

Opening his eyes Xander stared at the deer silently before pushing a feeling of contentment into its mind, standing up slowly and walking back towards the base.

Behind him a large black Raven watched the Deer as it ignored its natural fear of humans and allowed Xander to walk less then a handful of feet past it on his way back to the compound.

/Alexander's powers are growing. In a weeks time he's come further along then most mutants manage in months./ Mystique thought as she took wing and made her way back as well. /Perhaps we should focus on turning his empathy into a weapon./

--

(Next Day.)

Mystique walked into the large office and nodded to the others gathered there, as she sat Magneto finally started his briefing.

"Due to Victor, Dominic and John being in Sunnydale for the foreseeable future and Mortimer being… unavailable." He said with a direct look at a smirking Mystique before he continued. "I have offered Mr. LeBeau a tentative place in our organization for the duration of our operation." Magneto said and nodded when Peter's hand rose carefully.

"What is the objective here?" the large Russian asked, as Mystique and Gambit nodded at the question.

"The objective is an internment and reprogramming camp for mutants in the Colombian jungle, Several drug cartels are attempting to use the mutants they have captured for their own benefit, no matter the cost to the mutants." Magneto said with a growl as he thought back to his own stay in a similar camp. "Mystique, I want Alexander to accompany us, I will protect him personally but he needs to see what humans are willing to do."

--

(Sunnydale.)

"BUFFY!" Buffy Summers turned at the yell and watched in shock as the redheaded witch charged down the hall, barely missing sliding into one of the football players in her haste.

"Oh my god Buffy it's horrible and the damage is amazing and they say he fell down a flight of stairs but he would need to fall down around seventy three flights for that kind of damage and what could have done that to him and now Xander's gone and I'll never see him again and it's all my fault and what are we going to do." Willow gasped out before sucking in a lungful of air and leaning on one of the lockers. "I need to sit down now." She said as she slid to the floor and started to regulate her breathing to keep from passing out.

Buffy stared at her red-haired friend for a moment before looking up at the blue haired werewolf that finally arrived at a much more sedated pace.

"Xander's dad's in the hospital, they say he fell down the stairs, Xander's missing." He said as he helped his girlfriend to her feet and started to lead her towards the library.

--

Victor Creed was a happy man, his conversation with Willie had set him on the trail of several items that should be able to hurt the mayor both before and after his transformation. (Should it get that far along.)

He had also managed to pick up a trail on the vampire Spike and grinned at the Million-dollar bounty he had placed on the undead's head.

That left the rogue slayer Faith and the final death of Mayor Richard Wilkens to handle before he could return home.

His good mood disappeared as the small convertible belonging to principle Snyder skidded to a stop just inches from hitting him. Glaring at the small man Creed barely resisted the urge to eviscerate the worm before the principle made a possibly fatal mistake.

Of all the possible reactions people might have to almost hitting a person like Victor Creed, Blowing the horn at him is one of the worst.

Gritting his teeth as the loud horn grated on his ears, Victor reached down below the car and slowly lifted the front end into the air. The front of the small vehicle was nearly to his shoulders when the principle's glove box popped open spilling the contents into the front passenger seat.

Stopping the movement Victor Creed dropped the car from its current height and ignored the tires as they exploded due to the impact of the sudden drop.

Reaching over the cowering principle Victor moved several magazines aside and picked up the one item that had gotten his attention, a black armband with the letters F.O.H. in large white letters. With a feral smile Sabertooth looked down at the small man, his day had just gotten better.


	13. Only Skin Deep 13

Xander shrugged when he tried to get the jumpsuit to fit better as he looked at himself in the mirror and tried not to laugh at the sight. Shit stompin' boots, a gray jumpsuit and a dirty yellow trench coat his dad had left for him made Xander smirk at the semi-intimidating figure he made.

At first he had balked at the jumpsuit before his mom had explained that it was fire proof, shock proof and thermally sealed against both heat and cold. The only thing it didn't help defend against seemed to be bullets, or as Eric explained 'Homo-Sapiens and their guns.'

Xander shook his head at Eric's anger at the human race before he thought back to the tattoo's on the inside of his arm and sighed.

/He just doesn't realize that even though it was humans that put him there it was also the humans that bled and died to get him out./ Xander thought before looking up at a knock on his door, sending his thoughts out he felt a familiar warm feeling sliding around outside the reach of his powers before smiling. "Come in Mom." He yelled as he put a few remaining odds and ends into the inside pockets of his coat.

As Mystique stepped in, she raised a single eyebrow at her son while he moved about getting the items he thought would be handy for a trip to Columbia. "How did you know it was me? Very few Psychics can actually get around my mental blocks." She said as Xander looked up and smiled.

"I couldn't get into your mind, but as you evaded me your mind is like mercury on a plate every time I try to get a grip on it it just sort of breaks up into these little pellets while everything else goes skittering away, When Eric has his helmet on I can't get a grip of any sort on him and Remy… he's weird, when I try to get into his head it just sort of loops around into nothing." Xander said before shrugging off the mystery of the Cajun thief before looking back at his mom. "What did you need?"

Shaking her head at her sons ability to catalog the mental defenses of those around him in such crude terms she finally took a breath "Alexander, when we get to Columbia I want you to stay near Peter as much as possible, no needless heroics or cowboy stunts, every single person in there is likely to be an enemy and I don't want you hurt." She said and almost growled when she saw him slump in defeat.

Reaching over she gripped his chin and forced him to look at her. "We will train you to help, but please stay back on this one." She begged and smiled when he finally nodded. "We won't keep you out of the fight, if that is what you truly want, we just want to make sure you have the training to keep yourself safe."

Nodding again Xander smiled at his mom as she promised to let him help. "Alright, but I don't have to like it." He grumbled before looking up as the large Russian poked his head in the door.

"It's time." Piotr said before heading back towards the hanger.

--

Buffy walked into the library and ducked as one of Giles more expensive books flew over her head and slammed into the swinging doors before falling to the floor with a thud. Looking at the book for a second in shock Buffy finally managed to look up as her watcher threw another book while growling again.

"Damnable Archamedies and his Gaelic-Latin slang, how the bloody hell am I supposed to make any sense of him if I can't decipher what he's saying after the second century." Giles growled as he picked up a third book, leafed through it and slammed it down again.

Taking a breath, Buffy was prepared to announce her arrival when Giles finally let loose a frustrated scream and walking over to the weapons cage picked up a rather heavy bat and proceeded to beat the training mannequin into a shape that vaguely resembled a pretzel.

Swallowing at the stuffy Englishmen's rage, Buffy carefully stepped over the fallen book and exited the library.

Listening to the heavy impacts Buffy jumped when a hand touched her shoulder, Spinning around she stared at the redhead for a moment before putting a smile onto her face. "Willow, what're you doing here?" Buffy asked as she tried to keep herself between the Witch in training and the library.

Willow watched her friend act odd before shrugging it off, this was Buffy after all, odd was normal. "I came to help Giles research, you know for the upcoming 'Oh god we're all going to DIE' graduation." Willow said before she frowned "Why are you standing out here?"

"Ooh, I was just… waiting for you to tell you that Giles had to go out of town, something about some old tombs in LA or something." Buffy said as she spun her friend around and quickly walked away from the Library. "Let's go see if we have anything at the Myers Crypt tonight, you know how the vamps love to use that one as a lair."

--

Victor Creed grinned as he worked before stepping back and admiring the fruits of long hours of labor.

The night before a Chaos demon had dropped off a sealed box and after a collection of garbled squeals and half formed words had demanded the bounty from Creed.

After peeking in the box Victor had been more then glad to pay the disgusting blob of slime and horns his fee and let it be on its way.

And now he had his entertainment all set up. Stepping foreword Victor let a savage right cross wake the vampire from its unconscious state (And nearly sent it back into unconsciousness.)

"Wakey wakey, little Spikey." Victor growled as William the Bloody finally woke up.

Looking around with a snarl the vampire finally grasped the situation he was in. Lying spread eagle on a metal table he was restrained by heavy steel clamps at all his joints. Looking back at the smiling form in front of him Spike swallowed heavily as he tried to think back on everyone that he owed money to. /Von-Meers? no paid him off in the seventies. Dracula? No the bloody ponce still owes me ten pounds for that bet we made in eighty-two. Capone? Paid him off by faking his death and relocating him out of Chicago./ Finally frowning at the large form, he tested the restraints and tried to ignore the rising fear inside him. "So mate, if you're this desperate for a shag I could've set you up right, but I gotta let you know that even though I may do sub every now and then I don't really swing your way." He said and lost the grin as the huge being picked up a power drill and slowly slid a small bit into the power tool.

Ignoring the Vampire's attempts to anger him, Victor tightened the bolt down on the drill bit and squeezed the trigger as he listened for any kind of catch in the workings of the tool.

Hearing none, he turned towards the undead and smiled. "I've always wondered, Spike, what do you think would happen if you where to suck out the marrow in a vampires bones and replace it with holy water?" he asked casually as he set the drill down and checked the suction on a small vacuum he had stolen from the local dentist's practice. "Personally I think they would survive it but there is this little part of me that wonders if it may just dust from the pain."

Looking at the figure before him Spike felt the slow buildup of terror as it seemed to sap the very strength from his muscles. "You're not serious mate?" He asked and swallowed at the near demonic grin the large man directed towards him. "W-what did I ever do to you?" he said as he looked around desperately for anything he could use to get away from this situation.

Finally finished checking everything over Creed looked at the vampire as he thrashed on the table. "To me? Nothing." He said simply as he knelt down so he was just a few inches from the undead's head. "But my wife got to deal with the last piece of shit that laid a hand on Alexander and I just want to keep the score even."

Blinking in shock, Spike thought back to the only Alexander he had anything to do with recently. "Y-you mean the slayer's little tag-along friend? H-his dad's a drunken arse." He said desperately as he tried to think up an explanation or excuse he could use to escape.

Shaking his head slowly Creed grinned again. "His adoptive father WAS a drunken ass." He said putting as much emphasis on the past tense as he could "His biological father is a seven foot two inch monster that's forgotten more knowledge on causing pain than you could ever imagine."

Ignoring the rest of the vampire's words, he picked up the drill and vacuum and turned back. "So what do you say 'Spike,' wanna play?"

Below them, the beaten and bloody ex-principle of Sunnydale High cowered in a corner of his cell as the screams began.


	14. Only Skin Deep 14

Xander shifted in the cold air as mist swirled and billowed in the cave, he knew he was close. Looking up, he watched as the huge form slowly walk out of the gathering mist.

"So, this is how it ends?" Xander asked as he shifted his weight inside the trench coat. "We don't have to do this," He pleaded as Sabertooth took another step towards him.

"I'm not going to stop." Sabertooth growled as his son moved to block him from his objective.

"I can't let you pass." Xander said as the thoughts of what he was protecting filled his mind.

Nodding, Sabertooth recognized the determination in his son's voice. "Then I guess we will have to do this." He said sadly before flexing his hands to extend the obsidian black claws.

Victor Creed watched his son prepare for battle as the raging animal inside demanded he 'punish' the cub for challenging him. Forcing that part down, the more rational side of his mind warned him that even though Alexander was younger, the boy would not hold back in this fight. "Hey Kid."

Xander looked into his father's eyes and managed to catch a glimpse of Victor Creed through the rage haze of Sabertooth.

"No matter how this ends, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Dad." Xander said as the rage in his father's eyes forced the last shreds of Victor Creed away. "I wish it could have been different." He whispered to the enraged Mutant.

The last thoughts of Victor Creed echoed through the mental landscape as Sabertooth lunged at his last blood relative. /So do I./

--

"Alexander."

Xander jerked awake as he franticly looked around for an attack before focusing on the blue face above him.

"Mom, sorry had a nightmare." Xander admitted at the concerned look of his mother.

"Not the one with the Nazi Clown Spiders crawling over your face?" She asked in concern as she remembered him waking up screaming after that particular dream.

Shuddering at the memory, Xander shook his head as he forced away the last of the dream. "No thank god, this was just your average, run of the mill nightmare." He said before looking around at the others in the odd jet they were traveling in. "I'm guessing we're almost there."

--

Dominic resisted the urge to strangle his partner as John complained about the same things in a near endless loop.

Why were they here? Why did they have to be here? When could they go back to the Hotel? What was so important that they had to watch over these two girls? And last but not least, Who was this Xander guy that Magneto, Mystique and Sabertooth would all agree that they should be here?

He knew John didn't really want the answer to these questions, he knew it because he had in fact answered every single one of them several times in the past week. Finally turning to his co-mutant he resisted the urge to smack him again before coming up with a plausible way to keep him quiet for a while.

"John man, listen it could be worse, we could be in Texas watching that fat slob 'The Blob' instead of in Sunny California watching two hot girls get hot, sweaty and all out of breath, now are you going to shut up and watch or am I going to recommend to Magnus that you would rather be in Texas?" the mutant known as Avalanche asked and smiled at Pyro's answer.

"Well it's nice to know we're hot, right Willow?"

Dominic stifled a groan at the feminine voice behind him before turning around with a smile.

"Ladies… how much of that did you happen to overhear?"


End file.
